It’s the Derby day and it couldn’t have been anymore important than this. We are sitting on 6th position, tied up on points with Chelsea and whoever wins today at Stamford Bridge goes to third position behind Liverpool and City, with only 2 points difference to the latter. Liverpool are on a brilliant run but they will have their bad moments at some point, all we can do is play our best, accumulate as much points as possible and hope for the best.
Right, so what has happened which is favoring us? Man City lost to Brighton even after scoring first – that’s 3 very important points lost for them. Forest, which sits above us just lost to Newcastle. Aston Villa lost. And not that it’s important to talk about other small clubs but Tottenham just lost at home to Ipswich Town. All we have to do is win and we are back in the mix.
Line up is out. Odegaard is back and we have our strongest playing XI on the pitch against Chelsea. Timber and White on either side with Gabriel and Saliba in the center, a midfield of Partey, Rice and Odegaard with Martinelli, Havertz and Saka up top. That’s our best line up, may be Calafiori in place of White but there isn’t much drop in quality.
We will have to see whether Odegaard picks up his form after being side-lined with injury for couple of months now. We need him at his best though.
The only thing that’s wrong about today is Michael Oliver. After gifting City 9 extra minutes and a win against 10-men Arsenal, he has been rewarded to referee a London Derby which features Arsenal. Stay prepared to see some silly decisions.
Chelsea have improved massively under Maresca. Mikel, after our Champions League loss, said in the press conference that we can go and win at Stamford Bridge if we play the way we played against Inter Milan. I think it’s foolish to commit such statement against a rival for a Derby and when you are a visiting side. It just puts some un-needed pressure on the players, managers and everyone around the club. UNLESS you walk the talk.
Most importantly, we need to fix our basics and get back to the attacking football. That 10-men game against City has dented our confidence and we need to get out of it. We have failed to score against Inter, against Bournemouth and Newcastle and that’s not a good thing. Frankly, I love Marti but he should force his way to the middle and start contributing in terms of goals and assists. It’s not like he hasn’t got chances.
Right, a short one today. Game’s in 15 odd minutes and hopefully we paint the bridge red today. See you during the game.
Cheers
Marc
It was Jan 2023, and then he scored last week I guess… Was just continuing on the banter… :))
Morning all, it was early wee hours after the game, so went to bed and actually found sleep quickly most likely because we managed to get a point from a Chav’s side that are still finding its feet under a new manager of a few months, and yet he has a rather disjointed yet young talented side above us on GD, in 3rd place. The same couldn’t have been said about our generational rookie after 3 months or so…..
The Mail online and Mirror have MA throwing our players under the bus for dropping points last night.
“Furious Mikel Arteta slams his Arsenal players for their ‘unacceptable’ 1-1 draw with Chelsea… and reveals his ‘biggest fear’ in the title race after slipping NINE points adrift of Liverpool
Gunners let lead slip after conceding to Pedro Neto wonder goal on Sunday
Arsenal boss also left worrying about injuries to Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice”
Let’s take a closer inspection of MA’s claims.
Did the players choose the same old tired tactics repetitively used this season?
Not at all.
Did the players choose to play Ode for the full 90 and Rice until he broke and needed subbing?
Not at all.
Would it have been better to play Rice and Ode for 45 minutes only and then let Ethan cover for Ode not the cumbersome Merino and Skelly on for Rice.
Probably, because Ode only managed 31 successful passes all game, but did assist, and why we finally scored from open play. Rice also only made 31 successful passes at 84% and 2 from 3 successful tackles for his 71 minutes offering zero creativity. Not his fault being a CB and 6 with ideas above his football station induced by MA.
We can debate the game, but we were as disjointed as the Chavs were, even though we had our best starting 11, starting. MA was playing with a full deck player wise just not tactically.
Why have our set piece goals dried up?
Mostly because of Rice’s delivery as TRVL pointed out yesterday – too high and not enough pace and managers are savvy to out dark arts meeting like for like.
Where did we lose the game?
We were never in control, Enzo was prepared to stifle, as did MA, so the game was fractured with end to end counters for me all too often breaking down and turned over.
However, we were blunt up top again with Havertz only making 10 successful passes and 1 unsuccessful tackle in 90 minutes, but was offside 4 times. Our elite striker right there who MA runs into the defensive cover ground, instead of letting Kai stay up top and leave the defending to others.
I mean why was the lumbering Merino playing up top missing chances, in the box with Kai nowhere to be seen?
That is a MA question to answer, not throw at his players’ lack of goals.
Were MA’s subs effective?
Simply put: No! We left our only potential game changer on the bench: Nwaneri, and went with his usual no goals Jesus and Trossard who needs to start to score goals most of the time. Hardly worrying subs for the opposing manager, just expected and obviously planned for because between then they managed one shot off target and 18 successful passes. Super-subs they are not!
Enzo, the PL rookie manager’s (not inexperienced) subs did what was asked of them and levelled the game.
It was a cagey and scrappy game where both sides could have won, so the draw was probably a fair result on the balance of the game.
Our only tactical change I saw last night different from the norm was Partey shadowing Palmer to good effect, but equally Palmer was carrying a niggle as he was off the pace like Ode and Rice.
Is it any surprises the Pep and his insignificant apprentice are failing at mounting a sustained title challenge? Not for me.
Whatever we may feel about the game, we dropped another 2 valuable points to a Slot’s side who look like they know how to win games even when not playing that well.
The mark of a side who can win the title.
Long way to go still, but there are no easy games in the PL this season, as Spuds found out yesterday getting superbly turned over at home by Ipswich containing and countering, and bagging their first win of the season.
Must be the new Delia pies.
I would wager that no team likes going to the south downs’ clubs because all 3 clubs have great managers and very well drilled squads who are capable of taking top 6 scalps both home and away.
The last 2 seasons we’ve witnessed the growth of the smaller PL clubs being able to nick points home and away, and where MA is now being shown for his tactical and managerial decision making frailties with our squad, that is also poorly balanced with no striker, and where our striker has to defend first….. ……….
I’ll leave you with a question, does anyone reading this believe we can win the title this year?
I don’t, and feel 5th to 8th will be our finishing place unless we but a striker of note January to be sure of a CL placing at least if he hits the ground running.
the excerpt below was in reference to Havertz’s reaction following his goal, which was quickly overturned when it was determined that he was offside:
“It’s all a bit odd from Havertz. He was always hugely supported and encouraged by fans while at Chelsea. They sang his song for years while he was desperately average. It’s not like he left in bad circumstances either – Arsenal came calling and he jumped at the chance to join them.
And it’s hardly like he was getting too much notice from the fans anyway – there was hardly much booing, maybe there was a light grumble in the stadium but nothing pointed or vicious towards Havertz from what we could see.
We don’t expect him to not celebrate – that’s fine. But shushing fans who hadn’t even been giving you stick is a bit rich. Of course the irony is that it has now inflamed their sensibilities, and the “silky German” will now be getting much more abuse than before”
After reading this I now fully understand why our gangly non-Striker and our little project manager have developed such a seemingly unbenchable bond…both have an entirely unwarranted chip burrowing a hole in their respective shoulders and neither can read a fucking room to save their lives…just two entitled self-involved pees in a pod I guess…certainly not the end of the world but an interesting observation nonetheless, as it suggests that he takes no blame whatsoever for his professional shortcomings, much like the man who gifted him a permanent starting gig and king’s ransom to boot
Kai Bergkamp had another brain fart when he stood in an offside position at a free kickeven though he could see along the whole side he was offside that is inexcusable. But then we wouldn’t have had this embarrassing moment.
“Mikel Arteta blasted his Arsenal side for letting another lead slip in the Premier League after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, ranting that it was ‘so poor’ not to seal victory at Stamford Bridge.”
Well fuck me who was the idiot that bought those players and who was the fucktard that set up the game plan, starting XI for that match? Mirror mirror on the wall who is the dumbest manager of them all.
If the Kroenkeys want to piss away their money on a failed project, that is there business, but don’t get your knickers twisted when the fans get in your face. For me it means I will not spending a cent on Arsenal merch nor paywall to watch the Arteta shitshow.
On the positive side, keep on going son and we will be out early from the remaining three competitions and I can find something else to do in the time slot when Arsenal would play.
Quote of the day” Arteta’s Arsenal with their delusional fans are the entitled ones without titles.
Tony—as to the question you’ve posed, I concur with your no title sentiments, although I still think we might finish somewhere between 3rd and 5th…I strongly believe several of the sides currently occupying the top 8 will struggle to maintain their current pace in the coming months, which will allow us to remain somewhat relevant…that said, it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if we failed to qualify for the CL…let’s face it, as it currently stands we’re the same amount of points away from being in 15th as we are to being in 1st, which speaks volumes about the state of our franchise…you simply can’t adopt a fine margins approach to football unless you have the necessary horses and a shit ton of luck on your side, especially when it comes to injuries…so why would our dim-witted manager, who most believed was a real Striker and proper Xhaka replacement away from truly mattering, opt for such a low percentage course of action…I’ll tell you why, he’s a no-balls chickenshit manager, who would rather burn this whole thing down than face his fears or admit he was wrong
Longstuff!
TRVL
“I still think we might finish somewhere between 3rd and 5th”
At present there are 4 teams on 19 points and 3 teams on 18 points. The managers are Maresca, Fucktard, Nuno, Hürzeler, Marco, Howe and Don Unai, all decent ones with ambitions for Europe and something to prove. Depending on how well the EPL teams will do in Europe we may have 5 slots for the CL. That means 7 teams will fight for either 2 or 3 spots. On the heels of these 7 there are 4 additional ones and two have as a minimum requirement finish with a CL spot, Sp*ds, Bournemouth, Brentford and United with the new manager bounce.
This could turn out to be the mother of all battles where as in WW1 young lions are led by donkeys into this battle. Not very hopeful this season and it started so promising.
Killroy—you know me, I’m always the eternal optimist lol…keep in mind, I did state that I certainly wouldn’t be shocked if we failed to qualify…I just feel we have enough on the defensive end of things to avoid relative obscurity in the standings…Cheers
From the Athletic a damaging assessment:
“Predicting who won’t win it (the EPL title) is far easier and Arsenal’s tally offers a strong suggestion that this won’t be their year, again. Their record at this stage in the last three seasons reads…
• 2022-23; 28 points after 11 matches
• 2023-24; 24 points after 11 matches
• 2024-25; 19 points after 11 matches
TRVL– Same here an optimist, and I too have the believe we can secure CL competition for next season, but it is going to be hard. You only win something with your best players available, that means few injuries and no red cards. Injuries are part of the game, but who in the squad can plug the hole, that again is with our MIT.
Iam a new one here guys. I have been across all blogs and the last a paid one Pedros le grove. OMG this blog is refreshing to say the least. You people are free to question MA OmG that’s blasphemy in some blogs. Blind loyalty to a manager who is clearly out of ides is somehow the mark of a real Arsenal fan.
Anyways iam an Arsenal fan following from India for more than 2 decades. Recently moved to Solihull near Birmingham. I was hounded out from Le Grove because I asked some basic questions of MA and couldn’t stand his decision to sell ESR and pick someone like sterling. I couldn’t hear that so called Arsenal fans used words like deadwood for someone like ESR who was one of our own.
Hope to be a regular here and freely express my views.
TRVL
Hard to disagree with your thinking, especially with everyone taking points off each other or have the ability to. To the smaller nationwide clubs finishing positions are important financially.
To be honest anything less that winning the title after 5 seasons is complete process failure for me regardless of where we end up.
It’s not as if we’re pulling up trees in the CL either, so getting a place next season would be like Wenger CL torture.
My reason for my lack of optimism stems from my post last night that looking at our bench, we have no-one, but a 17 year old rough-diamond kid who has the ability to change the game for us, and we still glaringly need an 8 AM and an Isak type 9. That’s before we look at the bench ability needs other than left side defenders and keepers.
If all fit, our starting 11 is down to a bare bones eleven with a drop in the required talent when looking to the bench to change the game for us.
Trossard, Jesus, Jorginho, Calafiori, Merino, Kiwior and Zinchenko are not game changers or in rugby terms “finishers”; we are not that good at closing games out, either.
I look at the bench for inspiration the many times we are struggling, and think we’ve got precious little talent other than youth.
Watching Wolves at home close City (?) out was poetry in motion. The best bus parking I’d seen. I feel that is now the blueprint of 10 players moving in unison leaving zero gaps to exploit, once they get in front, and the blistering quick counters that are becoming more effective as the season wears on.
Ipswich & Brighton took City’s and Spuds scalps playing that way. I don’t know what Delia is putting in the pies, but those Tractor boys had after burners in their boots. I guess Lamborghini did start making tractors.
I love my club and desperately want us to win, but I am enjoying seeing a resurgence of the smaller clubs finding ways to improve on lesser budgets and win cups and European places in the future.
The playing field is slowly leveling now, and hopefully the future, particularly if FFP is really enforced and any perpetrators dealt with severely.
Hi Ambarish
This subscription business…Can you be a bit more explicit about how to do it? I want to help but I’m can’t even see where I should be subscribing. I assume too that there’s no downside, e.g. loss of privacy or opening a door to shitloads of spam/housewives being penetrated by tapirs….
KP
It’s the red subscription oblong box with the bell pic on it. It’s top of the page right hand corner to click on. Ambarish can explain better but many sites use the subscription tag for their numbers.
From Football Insider:
“Arsenal’s outgoing chief Edu could have fallen out with manager Mikel Arteta after deciding to leave the club. To move mid-season for a slightly bigger remit with a multi-club proposition that’s got Forest in a great spot right now, but the other two clubs in the group don’t seem to me to be the most exciting propositions for somebody that’s coming out of Arsenal.”
It just underscores the fact that Arsenal atm is in crises mode both on the pitch and off the pitch.
Welcome Madhu and Sid!
Yeah, we are a bit open about views and free as well :)) Hope to see you more often.
Killroy—the whole thing reeks like a longtime festering of sorts…I would imagine that Edu has been dropping strategically-placed hints within footballing circles for some time now, which is likely how this particular opportunity landed in his lap…he’s clearly taken a backseat to MA when it comes to recruitment, so he probably felt that he only had two options, go full-bore quiet quit or actively pursue other opportunities on the DL…either way would see him out the door in short order…maybe he was angling for a big splash purchase in the summer, likely a Striker, and that was kiboshed by MA, who was far more concerned about appeasing his two BFF buys from the previous summer…no new Striker meant that Havertz would only need to compete with the goal-challenged Jesus and the addition of Merino would further facilitate Rice’s final third wet dreams…I guess he felt it was best to jump off this somewhat careening train before things went totally off the rails…hopefully this will be a pivotal wake-up call for the blinders crew, although I highly doubt it
Quite a balanced view from the sports reporters below, which is unlike the MA PR spin repeatedly thrown down our throats. No one is saying Slot is a shoe-in for the title, but recognise that Slot’s Pool is only the 6th team in PL history to have 28 points after 11 games.
Not bad for your first 3 months in charge of a declining, stale team of undoubted quality, Klopp had left the team in need of new ideas, and the sort of thing that has generational elite potential muttered under hushed breaths as Slot’s work is appreciated by the aficionados of the game.
I don’t like the club, but I can’t ignore a class-act when I see one, where so far Slot is collecting admirers for all the right reasons.
Just hope RM wants him next season to leave the PL playing field more level than now, especially if Pep moves on, too.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-liverpool-arne-slot-title-34082823
Kilroy
People like Wenger and MA have to control everything where MA is fast becoming Wenger 2:0 at the club since being promoted all too quickly. MA seized power when he saw the opening and riding high on the generational & the process bollocks.
Fast forward 5 years, and we’ve still won nothing bar the covid FA cup.
Unfortunately, for MA, Edu’s early season resignation has given MA’s PR little time to start to lay blame for why, after £800m spent, we haven’t got a balanced squad with player assets appreciating with their successes on field. Because there are none, so assets will inevitably depreciate, as we have just capitulations and flattering to deceive to show for 5 years title wise and being 9 points off Liverpool at the top.
Edu’s replacement needs to be the buffer between the board, Josh & MA.
That buffer needs to be 100% MA’s boss with the backing of the board and our owners. It would be a bold, but right statement to demote MA to head coach again, so the demarcation line is drawn between the TD and the people he manages; head coach being one of them.
The table doesn’t lie we are failing miserably this season under MA’s stewardship, so why not give MA more time devoted to head coach duties where he is supposed to excel most, when he’s not blaming his players for a hard fought draw using his tactics and substitutions to play with.
We all know Einstein’s definition of madness except MA it would seem.
The one trick pony needs to implement new tricks, such as attacking across the final 3rd evenly, and having an elite striker, instead of being all right sided attack centric with our 9 too busy defending to be a real 9 when it matters most. Playing players in their best, natural positions would another new trick to keep to.
The only positive I see at the moment is that Saka & Rice have pulled out of the England squad, so have 2 weeks to fully recover from their injuries and be fresh to resume rather that their usual bruised tiredness on their return.
We have to hope Ode gets fitter with Norway, and no new or old injuries picked up against Slovenia and Kazakhstan.
Forest will not be easy but the game we need to start getting back on the title challenging track.
Offer MA the carrot of win the PL this season and earn the right to be the manager of The Arsenal.
That would mean getting the January window right of acquiring a top striker of Isak and above, and an AM 8 with pacy creative skills; 2 players we should have bought instead of Havertz and Merino. The AM 8 we have never got right, as Xhaka’s 8 from 9 seasons proved; now he’s back in Germany with a slower less physical game that suits his abilities with less mistakes in him.
We are in crises and the reasons why are not difficult to understand where MA needs to prove he has what it takes in the next 6 games:
Forest home
Sporting away
West Ham away
Manure home
Fulham away
Monaco home
If we are to be title contenders and among that last CL 8, we need to win all six games by Dec 13.
Welcome Syd good to have your brand of humour here.
Vastly different to LG where everyone gets along regardless of their views, but then fan boys prefer LG.
Each to their own….
Welcome Madhu and Sid.
Believe me, this is a far more open forum than LG ever was. Ambarish writes some good, knowledgeable stuff and we get to say whatever we like. Who thought discussing Arsenal could ever be like that?
Madhu – I hope you’re enjoying life in the west Midlands. I’m in neighbouring Wales. If actually going to Arsenal games is tricky to impossible (as it is for most of us these days) I’d be happy to offer advice about alternatives in your area. Anyway, I’m looking forward to hearing your views on here.
Sid – is that really you? We’ve had a good few entertaining exchanges on LG in the past not least talking about Nigeria where I once spent a brilliant 6 months. You have a truly original take on things and I greatly admired the way you used to offend certain stuffy fuckers with no sense of humour on LG. I’m feeling the returning fire of your legendary long stuff already.
duck your heads – watch out for the swinging longstuff.
Sid & Madhu
I echo what KP said.
Thanks everyone for the welcome. I feel the pods and blogs need not always toe the official line and be considered supportive only if they support the manager no matter what. Blogs and podcasts have to be bold, incisive and provocative for most part. Sure if everything is hunky dory then why not. We are a club far from it this season. We will be doing disservice to the club if we dont discuss the short comings and ask pertinent question. Lately as with all country regimes, these blogs and pods have become autocratic and call you names, traitors etc if we don’t toe the official line.
We all love our clubs and dedicate emotions, time and sometimes money to support them thick and through. I have spent a lot of money to watch Arsenal matches from India in 90s and 2000s and have been through the Wenger days. ‘What i cant stand is the slander of our players especially the academy kids like ESR and call then names. That was the last straw which made me leave Le Grove.
Hope to engage with you all on topics related to our beloved club.
Hi Madhu
ESR should have been playing a lot more before his sale – he mentioned ‘what injury’ when questioned by a journo after the club had posted he was not in the squad – perhaps the injury was an enormous splinter stuck in his arse.
Currently Fulham are 1 point behind Arsenal and ESR is constantly one of the top performing Fulham players and on several occasions – MOM.
Glad you have come over to the other side – Le Grove was good once but then Jeff stopped posting. Pedro’s tongue must be well and truly caked in shit by now.
Norg,
Yes i watch Fulham every week due to ESR and he is purring there with so sign of any injuries. The unbelievable thing was that Pedro slandered on his blog that ESR didn’t train well and that’s why MA wasn’t picking him. That was way out of line.
Looks like Amorin has arrived with his back room staff at Manure and axed Van Nistleroy.
It wouldn’t surprise me if United’s new manager doesn’t get them up and running ala Slot style to be challenging for top four as Emery did with Villa. Our next home game against Manure on 5 December will be hard fought, as Amorin has time to instill his new methods.
Madhu
ESR has been a big miss this season and last. MA sees himself as the big time Charlie with everyone lauding his improvements, more like emperor’s new clothes syndrome, but his fall from grace will come soon enough. MA clearly forgot how ESR and Saka saved him his job, but ESR is letting his boots do the talking at Fulham with Reis and Iwobi all looking like they are enjoying their football.
Just think if we had Patino, ESR and Nwaneri to select this season instead of Trossard and Jesus?
Tony
You forgot Sterling another vanity project al la Willain from MA. Its criminal to have someone like sterling when you could have firmly integrated academy players like ESR, Reiss and Ethan. Ethan is being wasted this season, its much better to see him than a Jesus who is a disgrace.
Madhu
Totally agree Reis would be a better solution than Sterling and give Saka rotation breaks. Problem is they are slightly different players so don’t fit exactly into MA’s prices that has produced only capitulations…..
Iwobi would be a better 8 than Merino or Rice for that matter.
The nearly but not quite manager……. same as a player….
Tony
No wonder Chido left Arsenal for ManU. He knew that he had no pathway for First team with MA as manager. Unfortunately Per is not powerful enough to influence or mandate academy integration on MA. Why would any academy prospect with any decent chance of making it to first team would stick with Arsenal. Per needs to be more forceful with MA, otherwise the Arsenal Academy would be defunct.
Madhu
Chido isnt the only one to seek pastures new when they approach the age and skill set they have reached that enable them to be part of the first team set up. Unfortunately players like Sterling and Jesus are stinking the place out and they will always be selected in front of up and coming talent. At the end of this season I fully expect we will buy Sterling and give him a three year deal on an inflated salary. Perhaps El B is taking a back hander?
I would suspect that even MA has come to realize that the whole Sterling gig wasn’t such a brilliant piece of business, as some first suggested…at least it didn’t cost us a fortune, like so many of his previous transfer missteps…seems like MA’s willingness to incorporate RS’s eldest son into the mix was all part of his pitch, which, considering his public “apology” after RS was taken off following Saliba’s red card, likewise included some serious playing time assurances…at least this late window maneuver suggests that MA finally realized that we need to inject some directness into our attack, unfortunately this rather underwhelming option can no longer fit that bill…maybe instead of wasting so much time securing players with no other serious takers, we should have been finding a far more viable alternative…even though I have exceedingly little faith in MA’s decision-making process, I just can’t envision any set of circumstances that would see RS back at the Emirates next season…that said, with this dipshit in charge who the fuck knows
Good to see you Sid & Madhu. Been reading some of your comments on Le-Grieve but the spin on there is dizzying. One of the comments that I thought was funny was “Strong the force of delusion is on Le-Grove” but after searching for reactions, I found out it was deleted.
That whole blog turned into a Kool Aid camp. The day of reckoning will come as it says if it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck… If Arsenal’s manager talks delusional, acts delusional on the sideline, he is delusional. He most likely thinks he is God’s gift to football. To that I say, what historic club with with a pedigree would go for our MIT?
@Madhu, @Sid just in case you wonder,we have here a few appropriate acronyms and designations for Arteta. MIT = Manager In Training, El-B coined by Kroenkephobe meaning El Bastardo and the most telling coined by TRVL fucktard or fuckward.
We are now at 19 points after 11 games, Emery was at 17 points after 11 games, surely that was not the reason for him being canned. As far as recruitment is concerned, there must have been some heated exchanges between El-B and Edu. Here is my take:
Jesus & Zinchenko, he coached them at city and paid £80mill for the failures.
He bought Havertz to replace Xhaka but plays him as false 9 or CF.
He bought Rice as a number 6 and plays him as a number 8.
He bought Lokonga, Taveres and Viera and they went out on loan.
We spent hundreds of millions of pounds on players who were bought for a particular position but play now in a different one.
Finally a record spending on Rice, does he look this season like a 100m player? His dead ball kicks are nothing to write home about. If from the next 4 matches we don’t take 12 points the spin on Le-Grieve should be very entertaining.
Finally, with the injury crises in the back 4 that Real Madrid has, I would not be one bit surprised if Saliba will be a Real player in January because by that time our title dream surely will be over.
New post.